Box-lid clamp or holder.



P. B.. @ovm y BOX DID CLAMP 0R HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 5, 1910.

Patented Jufy 19, 1910` 3 SETEETS-SHEBT 1. A

r 5 Q au F R. GVEY.

BOX LII) CLAMP 0R HOLDER.

APPLIOATICN 1111.21) JAN. 5, 1910.

` 965,087D Patented. July 19, 1910.

SSHEETS-SHEET Z.

atm" m F. R. /JVEYE BOX LD OLAMI 0R HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 5, 1910.

Patented July 19, 1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNiTED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK 1t. covEY, or RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA.

Box-LID CLAMP on nomma. v

Specification of Letters Patent. application tiled January 5, 1 910. Serial No. 536,503.

Patented July 19,1910.

' fruit or other boxes while such lids or covers are being nailed.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a simple and effective construction of apparatus which may be conveniently operated by a single operator or pressman, and in which the presser head ofthe clamping mechanism is self-adjusting to accommodate itself to irregularities in the height and shape of boxesand is adapted also to apply an equal pressure to the portions of the lid or cover agalnst which it bears.

Another object of the invention is to provide slmple and effective means for regulating the degree of self-adjusting action or movement of the presser head and for yieldingly controlling such action.l Still another object of the invention is to provide a high ack attachment for use particularly in ruit packing where the fruit is acked above the surface of the box and is orced into thesame b the lid or cover when the latter is applled, said attachment serving to guide the fruit .down into the box as well as to guide the cover in its downward movement, .thus preventing the fruit from being caught -by and crushed gainst the edges of the side walls of the Still another object of the invention is to vprovide a novel construction of means foroperating the parts, permitting automatic adjustment of the presser head and an associated portion of the'thigh pack attachment, and for returning the parts after operation to normal position, and to generally improve the construction and increase the practical .efficiency of .apparatus of ,this

lcharacter and produce an apparatus which .is not liable to get out of order and is susceptible of manufacture at a comparatively low cost. :With these and other objects inview, the ln'vention consists of 'the features of construction, combination .and arrangement of 'ing a central hub 15 carrying a pair of for` i parts' hereinafter fully described and had to the accomclaimed, reference bein panying drawings, in w ich Figure 1 is a perspective View of a 11d clamping apparatus embodying my inven- 6g tion with parts as normally arranged for use. Fig. 2 is a'rear elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig.'4 is a vertical central front to rear section, showing in dotted lines the front guide and the locking arm of the high pack attachment as arranged for use. Fig. 5 is a detail of the front. guide and its locking arm..,

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, 1 lrepresents the frame .of the apparatus, comprising a -horizontal rectangular bed er table 2 preferably formed of sheet metal, such as sheet steel, and mounted at or adjacent its corner portions uponanglemetalsupporting legs 3 suitably constructed for attachment at their 'lower ends to a floor or otherfoundation. vThe front and rear legs at each end of the table are coupled and braced bytie-bolts 4 and the lower ends 80 of the rear legs 'are connected and braced by an angle-metal cross-barb.

Fastened in any secure manner to theY frame structure is a .standard 6, 'preferably consisting .of a metallic plate extending upwardly from the bar 5' to .a suitable point above the top of the table through a central recess 7 in vthe rear edge of the table, and provided in its lower portion with a vertical upper. portion of the standard and extendling any suitable distance downward from -guide slot-8. Secured to the rear face of the extending webs ofsaid strips forming ay l `guideway 13 and supports for certain parts of the apparatus, as hereinafter described,"L

while 4the ,strips as a whole serve A-to reinforce and strengthen the standard.

.Fitted for vertical movement inthe guide-- way 10 is a'plunger rod or lbar 111 carryin at its upper vend a bolt or stud 14; on whi' is pivotall'y mounted a presser head embodypivotal movement of the'head, which is rack bar is secure acts with the bar to'form a properly limited as hereinafter described, the head is rendered self-adjusting to accommodate itself to irregularities inthe height and shapes of boxes and to bear with equal pressure upon the engaged surfaces of the lid. Thebox rests upon the t-able 2 with its rear side resting against gage pieces or stops 17, one of which is provided with a forwardly projecting arm 18 to bear against one of the ends of the box, whereby the box may be properly applied in position beneath the presser head.

A foot-lever 19 extends from the front of the machine below the table through the slot 8 and lower 'portion of the guideway 13a, in which it is vertically movable, to a point in rear of the machine, where it is pivoted at its rear end to and between the portions of a duplex V-shaped bracket 20 secured to the strips 11 by bolts 21 and to the bar or strip 5 by the bolts 13. The forward end of this lever carries a tread plate 22 and a spring-actuated dog 23 adapted to engage the teeth of a rack bar 24 to lock the lever in adjusted osition. As shown, the

table and at its lower end to a bracket 24a fixed to` the base of the frame, and a rod 24b secured to the rack bar and bracket couide for the forward endvof the lever. T e bracket 20 carries an adjustable stop 25 to limit the upward movement of the lever under4 the actionA of a coiled'contractile spring 26 con nected at its lower end to the lever by a coupling link 27 and at its upper end to the hooked lower end 28 of an adjustable rod 29 threaded to engage a threaded opening in a bracket plate 30 and adapted to be fixed in adjusted position by nuts 31, said bracket being fastened upon the upper rear portion of the standard by certain of the bolts 12. Secured to the lower end of the plunger bar, as by bolts 32,- is a bracket 33 slidable vertically in the slot Sand adjustably connected to the lever by links 34, so that upon depressing the lever the plunger bar and presser head will be drawn downward to clamp the lid in position upon the box, in

which position it may be held while it isA being nailed b engaging the dog with the rack. Upon re easing the dog the spring 26, which is expanded upon the depression of the lever, restores the parts to normal position.

at its upper end to the- Brackets 35 are fastened to the standard by certain of the bolts 12 and project lat era-lly from opposite sides thereof, and each of these brackets is formed with an upwardly extending vertically slotted arm 36 and a depending arm 37 hooked at its lower end. These brackets support a vertically movable guide plate or member `38 carrying pins or bolts 39 movable in the slotted arms, and to the rear ends 'of these bolts are attached the upper ends vof coiled springs 40,

connected at their `lower ends with the4 hooked portions of the arms 37. Uprights 41 rise from .the upper edge of the guide Nplate and are bent at their upper end to form extensionsy 42 overhanging the arms of the presser head and threaded toI receive stop screws 43 bearing on said arms and retained in adjusted position by lock nuts 44. This guide plate forms a part of the high pack attachment and is movable with the presser head, the purpose of the plate beingv to bear against the rear side of the box and extend above the upper edge of the same and engage and form a guide for the rear side edge of the lid or cover while the latter is being forced down by the. presser head to pack the fruit within tlie box and brought in position to be nailed. This guiding action prevents any tendency to rearward displacement of the cover, and the plate also closes the space between the adjacent side of the box and the cover and prevents the fruit from being forced outward and crushed or bruisedv between the edge'of the side and the cover. 1t will be understood that through the slidable connection of the guide plate with the brackets and engagement of the screws 43 with the -presser head on opposite sides ofthe pivotal support of the latter the springs 40, which are expanded or placed under tension by the downward adjustment of the screws, act to yieldingly hold said presser head `from pivotal `movement The spring 26 is of greater strength than the combined strength of the springs 40, so that upon the upward movement of the plunger bar to normal position in the retraction of the presser head the guide plate will be elevated andv the springs 40 placed under more or less tension acl according to the adjustment of the screws 43 c to regulate their resistance to the pivotal movement of the presser head. When, howlmovement to set straight or at an angle so that its arms willl accommodate themselves to variations in the levels of the portions of the lid engaged thereby, due to irregularities di culty i-s experienced in packin presser head to bear upon the cover, thev in packing 4or irregularities `in the height or shapes of the boxes. A yoke 45 is secured to and extends above the upper end of the Standard, and to the crown of this yoke is pivoted at one end al locking bar 46, whose free end is notched to form a catch or hook to engage the front section of the high pack attachment,'which will now be described.

A lever 47 is provided at one end with a slot 48 pivotally connected to the front of the table by a bolt 49 so that it may be swung from a horizontal to a vertical position, or vice versa. p The free end of this lever is adapted to rest when said lever is horizontal upon a supporting bracket 50, and to said lever is attached a handle 5l whereby it may be manually adjusted. Disposed at right angles to the lever and intermediately -fixed to the center thereof is a guide plate 52 similar in form and dimensions to the plate 38 and adapted to'lie, when the lever is upright, in alinement with said plate 38 and to bear against the outer side of the b'ox and outer side edge of the cover,` so that the two plates will guide the cover in atrue pathwhile it is being forced down by the presser head.'

The plate 52 is adapted to rest at its lower edge upon the lid and is"provided with guiding and retaining fingers 53. v

In acking fruits ofcertain kinds in boxes for s ipment the fruit is packed or piled high above the top of the box and is forced v down into the same by the lid under .the action of the presser head, so that the fruit will be snugly and evenly packed'in the box. The pressure of the lid 4on the superposed portion'of the fruit tends to force the fruit outward toward the sides of the box, commonly resultin in the escape of the fruit' or the crushing o the same against the upper ed es ofthe sides` of the box. Consequently fruits in this way and much time consume in the operation. The purpose of my high packing attachment, whlch is an important part of my invention, is to obviate these objections. andto provide a means vby which the cover will be guided and the fruit retained in position so that it cannot esca eorbecomecrushed or bruised, and where y, therefore, the o ration of compressing the fruit and applylng the lid may be accomplished at the expenditure of much less time and trouble.

in a plying the cover to a -box packed in` the or' inary manner, it will be understood that the box is placed in position upon the table and the cover applied and clamped in place by depressing the lever to bring th lever being locked by Venga ement of the pawl with the rack so that th hands of the operator will be free to nail the cover. lin the operation of applying the cover to` a .ment and'assisting in retaining the device in position. The front guiding device will thereupon be supported by the box with the plate 52 in osltion to guide the adjacent side edge ci) the cover in its downward movement and to cover the space between the same and the top of the box to prevent outward displacement of the fruit, while the rearl guide plate 38' will perform a corresponding function at the rear side of the box. Hence when thepresser head is drawn down by the lever mechanism the lid will be forced down upon the top of the box and guided in a true path, and the fruit will be closely packed into the box without any liability -of the same escaping or becoming crushed or bruised against the sides of the box. After the lid has been forced tight against the top of the box, it may be clamped in Such position by locking the lever mechanism against movement, leaving both hands of the operator free to drive the nails. Upon release of the locking device, the presser head will be returned to normal position for the succeeding operation, as reviousl explained. The guide plate 38 oes not 1nterfere with the use of the presser head in applying the lids vin ordinary packing, and

,when under such conditions its use is not what is claimed as new is l. In an apparatus of the .character described, the combination of a box support, a pivotally mounted lid clamp having bearing portions on opposite sidesof its pivotal support, means for moving said clamp toward and from the supported box to engage and release the lid, and means for yieldingly holdipg said clamp against pivotal movement. y

En an apparatus of the character described, the combination of `a box support, an intermediatelypivoted lid clamp provided with bearin arms extending in opposite directions om its pivoted portion, means for moving said cla-mp toward and from the supported box to engage and release the lid,and means actingupon ksaid for operating the clamp, pressure devices vagainst pivotal 4movement.

4:. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination, with box supporting means, of 'a lid clamp pivotally mounted and provided with oppositely disposed bearingportions, and means acting upon said bearing portions to oppose a yielding resistance to the pivotal movement, of the clamp. i

- 5. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a bed or table, a lid clamp movable toward and from the same, said clamp being mounted for pivotal movement and provided with oppositely extending bearing portions, means engaging the bearing'portion's of the clamp to yieldingly hold the same from pivotal movement, and means for regulating the pressure of said devices.

6. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a bed or table, a pivotally mounted lid clamp movable to- Ward and from the same, said clamp being provided with oppositely extending bearing portions, means vfor operating the clamp, pressure devices engaging the bearing portions "of the clamp, and s rings acting on said pressure devices to a apt the latter to oppose a yielding resistance to the pivotal movement of the clamp.

7. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a bed or table, a pivotally mounted lid clamp movable toward andfrom the same, said clamp being provided with oppositely extending bearing portions, means for operating the clamp, re-` sistance springs, brackets controlled by said springs, and adjustable pressure devices carried by the brackets and engaging said bearing portions of the clamp to oppose a yielding resistance through the action of the springs to the pivotal movement of the.

clamp.

8.V yIn an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a bed or table, a pivotally mountedlid'clamp movable toward and from the same, means for operating the clamp, a vertically adjustable guide member springs opposing resistance to the-upwar movement of sa1d member, and pressure devices carried by said member and engaging the bearing portionsof the clamp to oppose a yieldin resistance to the pivotal movement ofthe c amp.

for

' Y 9. In an apparatus 4of the/'character described, the combination of a bed. or table, a lid clamp movable towardand from the same and provided with oppositely projecting bearing portions, said clamp being pivotally mounted, means for moving the clamp toward and `from the table, said means including a spring for retracting the clamp, a vertically movable lid guide, springs acting on said guide to oppose a resistance to the upward movement thereof, arms carried by the guide, and adjustable pressure devices carried by said arms and acting'upon the bearing portions of the clamp to yieldingly oppose through said springs a resistance to the pivotal movement of thev clamp.

10. In an apparatus of the character `described, the combination of a bed or table, a vertically movable plunger bar, a lid clamp pivotally mounted upon said bar, means for engagement with the-lid, a 'spring for retract-,ing the bar, andl sprlng means for establishing opposing resistance to the pivotal l 12. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of'a bed or table, a vertically movable lid clamp, a rearlid guide adjustable with said clamp, and a manually adjustable front lid guide adapted for cooperation With said rear lid guide.

13l In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a bed or table, a vertically movable lid clamp, a vertically adjustable rear lid guide movable with the clamp, and a front lid guide adapted to be manually adjusted to a position to coperatie with said rear lid guide.

14. In anv apparatus of the character ,described, the combinationof'a bed or table,

lid clamping means, arear guiding device for the lid, and a coperating front guiding device for the lid,the latter being normally box, and a front guiding device for the lid` adapted to cover the space between the 'same and the front side of the box, said front guiding device being adapted for movement into and out of operative position.

depressing the bar to bring the clamp into j 16. In an apparatus of the 'character de scribed, the combination of a. bed or table, a vertically movable lid clamping f device, means fo'r depressing the same, a spring for returning said device to normal position, a rear lid guide, said guide being vertically movable, spring means for normall ldepressing the same, means carried by sai guide to oppose, 'a yielding resistance through ,said spring to the pivot-al movement of the clamp, a front guide adapted to be moved from an inoperative to an operative position, and means'for holding said guide in its operative position.

v 17. In an apparatus of the charact'el described, the combination with a suppor for the box, a lid clamping means, and means for operating the same, of means for guiding the lid as it is being forced down upon the box and simultaneously holding the excess portion of the material to be packed from displacement.

18. In an apparatus of the character described, t-.he combination with a support .for the box, a vertically movable lid clamping device, and means for operating the same, of a rear guide for the lid adapted to cover the space between the same and theadjacent side ofthe box, a front guide for the lid adapted to cover the spacebetween the same and the front side of the box, said front side being mounted for adjustment from an inoperative to an operative position,

and means for retaining said front guide in its operative position.

19. In an apparatus, of the character described, the combination of a box support, a ,vertically movable lid clamping device, means for operating the same, a rear lid guide, a pivotally mounted front lid guide adapted to be swung up to a position to cooperate With the rear lid guide, and a holding device for retaining said front lid guide in operative position.

20. In an apparatus of the .character described, the combination of a box support, lid clamping means, a rear lid guiding device, a pivotally mounted lever adapted to be swung from a normally horizontal position to a vertical position and vertically adjusted in the latter-named position, and a front lid guide carried by said lever -and adapted when the latter is swung upto be arranged for coperation with saidrear lid guide.

In testlmony whereof I alixmy signature in presence of lWo Witnesses.

FRANK n. oovEY.

. Witnesses:

M. B. MARTER, A. E.4 W. MonoNALn.l 

